When you shut down Windows, the following error message appears: Schtasks.exe – Application failed to initialize (0xC0000142). You can click OK or the message disappears by itself and the shutdown process continues.

Schtasks.exe is a command line version of the Task Scheduler in Windows Vista. It lets you specify a schedule for the automated execution of commands. Besides the specified date/time schedule, execution can be triggered by other programs as well. If you are an advanced user, you can open the Task Scheduler (Control Panel, System & Maintenance, Administrative Tools) to see all scheduled tasks and decide whether you need all of them. You can also open the System Configuration Utility (Start, Run, type msconfig and click OK) and see which programs are scheduled to run at startup (Startup tab).

This error was probably caused by the Java software. The message stopped appearing after I uninstalled Java from the computer. However, you still need Java for many applications, such as games, chat programs, 3d images and Internet. After you uninstall Java (Control Panel, Uninstall a program) and confirm it’s responsible for the error, reinstall it. Go to the Java Web site and download the latest version. In my case, the problem did not reappear.

If this solution did not work for you, there are other options. Try uninstalling OpenOffice.org application or HP software, if you have any of these. Also, make sure you download all Windows updates. If nothing works, and the PC is not under warranty, try System Restore as a last option. If you remember when the computer last worked without problems, simply restore it to that date.